Close to half of students in Hawaii tested proficient in English language arts and 41 percent met the mark in math on new student achievement tests rolled out last year in grades three through eight and 11.

The scores represent an expected decline from previous state tests, and the Department of Education has been working for months to prepare parents for the new Smarter Balanced Assessment results.

The DOE says the new tests, which are aligned to the Common Core State Standards, are more rigorous and the scores will provide a new baseline for measuring student achievement in the state.

In the last year before the Smarter Balanced rollout, 71 percent of eighth grade students tested proficient in reading and 59 percent in math.

Roughly 89,000 students in six different grades took the new test last year.

“Test scores show we’re not where we want to be, but we’re on the right track for all students to be college and career-ready,” DOE Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said in a press release Tuesday. “This test was more difficult, and the results also tell us that our educators have worked hard to shift their teaching towards higher standards. We hope to build on our momentum each year to ensure that our students are prepared for college and community life.”

Of the 22 states using the Smarter Balanced Assessment, only 10 have released test results to date. In most states, student proficiency scores declined in the first year of implementation.